Pteridophyta: Equisetales

Equisetaceae - Horsetail family

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Terrestrial perennial plants with creeping subterranean rhizomes, roots borne in whorls at the nodes. Aerial stems erect, green, hollow, jointed, conspicuously ribbed,with whorls of branches at the nodes.the branches themselves also jointed. Leaves reduced to a many-toothed short sheath at each node. Cones (sporangiophores) borne at the ends of the main vegetative stems and rarely the branches too.

Worldwide: 1 genus and c. 15 species worldwide.

Zimbabwe: 1 genus and 1 taxon.

Equisetum ramosissimum subsp. ramosissimum

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Equisetum L.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Equisetaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Equisetaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Equisetaceae
Flora of Malawi: Equisetaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Equisetaceae
Flora of Zambia: Equisetaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Equisetaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Equisetaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Equisetaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Equisetaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Equisetaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Equisetaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Equisetaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Equisetaceae
Wikipedia: Equisetaceae
Plants of the World Online: Equisetaceae
Tropicos: Equisetaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Family page: Equisetaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=81, retrieved 19 March 2024

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